Trump pleads on TV for wall funding to fix border ‘crisis’

Lynn Briggs |Wednesday, January 09, 2019

WATCH: Democrats Deliver Response to Trump's Prime Time Address

In a Tuesday statement from Pelosi and Schumer, the Democratic leaders said, "Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans in Congress have repeatedly urged the President and Leader McConnell to end the Trump Shutdown and re-open the government while Congress debates the President's expensive and ineffective wall".

He asked, "How much more American blood must be shed before Congress does its job?"

'Neither side feel they can cave and not pay a bad political price, ' Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on Fox News.

In his speech, Trump reiterated his claims that the "thousands of illegal immigrants" entering the USA every day are hurting the economy, bringing heroin with them, and "[driving] down jobs and wages", and that his $5.7 billion border wall "would very quickly pay for itself"-claims that were swiftly called into question and labeled only partly true, if at all, by various fact-checking efforts.

Schumer said Trump "just used the backdrop of the Oval Office to manufacture a crisis, stoke fear and divert attention from the turmoil in his administration". But past meetings have resulted in both sides digging in, with Trump insisting on almost $6 billion for a border wall and Democrats saying they won't entertain the discussion until Congress passes and Trump signs a package re-opening shuttered federal agencies.

Trump, who has long railed against illegal immigration at the border, has recently seized on humanitarian concerns to argue there is a broader crisis that can only be solved with a wall along the U.S. -Mexico border.

The president argued that a "growing humanitarian and security crisis" at the southern border requires the government to put down $5.7 billion for a border wall, in addition to new technology and detention beds. But critics say the security risks are overblown and his administration is at least partly to blame for the humanitarian situation.

Rosenstein expected to leave Justice in weeks
ABC News also reported that there is no indication that Trump is attempting to force out Rosenstein, despite their rocky past. If confirmed, Barr would then oversee the special counsel's Russian Federation investigation.

After Trump said that "innocent people" are being "horribly victimized" by immigrants who commit crimes, Smith quickly added perspective. For weeks he has dug in on a signature campaign promise to his base voters, the pledge to build an impregnable "beautiful" wall along the U.S. -Mexico border.

The partial government shutdown reached its 18th day, making the closure the second-longest in history. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers face missed paychecks Friday as the shutdown drags through a third week.

Smith also took issue with Trump's claim that it was law enforcement professionals who wanted the wall.

Trump also suggested that other people, including rich liberals, build walls "not because they hate the people outside but because they love the people inside".

I don't think the Democrats have great support bc they all know we need border security. Because Democrats will not fund border security.

At a private meeting with House Republicans, Vice President Mike Pence cited a C.S. Lewis quote calling courage a virtue, and he said Trump has no plans to retreat.

The White House moved to pre-empt the Democrats, telling reporters Monday that tax refunds would be paid despite the shutdown. The administration says it will act on its own to ensure the refunds.

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